Bentley fought for constituentsI am responding to the...

the Forum

September 16, 1992

Bentley fought for constituents

I am responding to the Sept. 5 letter from a Towson reader concerning the "HCFA decision." I have been hoping that the controversy related to the Health Care Financing Administration decision would end. I believe we should be mending bridges and focusing our energy and resources on what can be done to improve the region.

However, I am disturbed by the reader's attacks on Rep. Helen Bentley and her support for the HCFA employees, Woodlawn community and Baltimore County business community.

HCFA employees appealed to all of the Maryland legislators for representation concerning the HCFA relocation because their homes are located in several congressional districts. Many of the HCFA employees who would have been severely affected by a HCFA move to the city reside in Baltimore and Harford counties (Rep. Bentley's district).

While other Maryland delegates waffled, wiggled and wavered, Rep. Bentley listened to her constituents and aggressively represented them.

Rep. Bentley acted effectively to do what she was elected to do; that is, represent her constituents. As a result, many more HCFA employees and Baltimore County businesses benefited.

I envy the Towson reader because he has a hard-working and dedicated representative who listens to and fights for her constituents.

ichelle Bruggy

Woodlawn

The writer is chairwoman for HCFA Employees for Woodlawn.

Priorities

Which is more important in Baltimore, baseball or education? Consider the following:

Cal Ripken just signed a contract which will pay him an average of $6.1 million dollars a year for the next five years. That is enough to pay 185 Baltimore City school teachers with master's degrees and 14 years experience.

Maryland financed the Orioles stadium for more than $100 million and hopes to finance another $140 million to build a stadium for a new National Football League franchise. Local investors are prepared to come up with $150 million to buy the franchise.

In the spring of 1991, when the state was so impoverished that it could not afford to give state employees a raise for the second year in a row, the average salary of baseball players increased by 50 percent.

If there is a problem with the performance of a major league baseball player (or team), no expense is spared to correct the situation. Is this the case in education?

Education in Baltimore has not been adequately funded at any time during the 14 years that I have been working here.

When the economy was booming, there were other priorities. When the economy was tight, funding was cut to the bone.

When the state cut its support for local jurisdictions it passed a law allowing the city and counties to cut levels of support and abrogate contracts with employees. Yet there was no postponement of funds flowing to the stadium.

Perhaps we should change our motto from "the city that reads" to "we'd rather play ball."

avid G. Fowler

Baltimore

No new taxes?

President Bush has promised not to raise taxes again if re-elected. But under his own proposal for health care reform, he would tax the health benefits provided employees by employers. NTC This would raise taxes on the working masses to the tune of $40 billion a year.

This tax would be paid by the workers, which falls in line with Mr. Bush's agenda (tax the middle class and leave the wealthy employers to skate free once again). Why does not the press put the question to the man?

George J. Tsigounis

Baltimore

Unhappy fan

In your editorial about the Orioles, "Happy tenant, happy fans" (Sept. 4), you refer to "the neck-straining box seats way out in left field and the disgruntled fans who occupy them."

You missed the equally miserable seats way out the right field line -- known disgustedly as "club seats." The Orioles have seen fit to charge $25 for these seats -- which at best should be sold for $2.

Poor seating design is one thing, gouging the fans is another. These seats are a real rip-off and, needless to say, the Orioles never will see my $25 again.

Dean Garland

Baltimore

Clinton evasive

I am one of those restive Republicans who was willing to give the opposition a look this time. I latched onto Bill Clinton early.

While other Democrats offered ideas that interested me in a limited manner, Mr. Clinton was the only candidate who seemed capable of pulling everything together.

Things have changed. Mr. Clinton lost my vote with his ludicrous performance on "60 Minutes" during which he offered to "level with the American people" about the adultery rumors, knowing we would "understand."

I might well have understood, if given the chance, but he did everything except level with me that night. It was that inability to tackle the issue in a straightforward manner that alienated me, not the alleged adultery itself.

It wasn't until the marijuana smoking flap that I lost all respect for Mr. Clinton. His evasive denial that "I have never broken the laws of my country" revealed his true character and illustrated his complete lack of faith in the American people.